What I find disappointing is the lack of activities they could have but don't. I don't particularly care to play ping pong on the open deck of a ship going 20 knots with a wind of 15 knots, or jogging around in circles, art auctions, or playing dolphin races, etc. I'm sure those are fine for some people, and that's ok, but some of the things I would like to see are pool tables in the sports bar, darts tournaments, wet t-shirt contests, dunk-the-captain booths, crawfish eating contests, paint ball games, board game tournaments, Halloween night, parasailing, forward cabins vs. aft cabins group contests, biggest liars contest, and a bunch of other things that don't cost much at all but offers more choices. Any good ideas? Maybe the cruise directors are watching ! !

The wet t-shirt contest remark is still making smoke come out of my ears. I'll be nice though.
You definitely need to take a trip to Mexico during spring break or plan a trip to New Orleans during Mardis Gras. That should have all the party atmosphere a mature(?) adult can handle. Cruise ships have targeted families more and more instead of the swinging single crowd so, you will not find this kind of entertainment on board. Thank God!

Location: Wisconsin....about 100 miles south of the Frozen Tundra and 70 miles east of Camp Randall

Posts: 9,675

Re: The activities they don't have!

Hey guys - he also mentioned darts tournaments, board game tournaments, a liar's contest (those can be very funny!) Personally, my favorite would be (with a Captain who has a great sense of humor and if it were done for charity or something) - a dunk the captain (or cruise director, etc) contest.

I've seen some pretty wild games going on on the RCI ships. My favorite is the Scavenger Hunt game where bras, teeth, pants and assorted other things make an appearance on stage. The Not-So-Newly-Wed Game is just too funny. Thomas, maybe your just cruising with the wrong cruise line. The Brilliance and Legend of the Seas have a Billiards room, sports bars, cigar lounge. What are you really looking for?

I've seen the scavenger hunts, they are funny and I try to help the hunters as well. Yes, they have sports bars allright but I've not seen any billiards or dart boards. The cigar lounges are fine for those who smoke cigars but for others........???

I would like to see the cruise directors take a look at other activities that could be offered which cost very little but add variety. My original post has some of the stuff I would like offered and I'm sure readers of this board have others. I hope the cruise directors are watching!

I don't know why they're all slamming you on the wet T-shirt contest and I'm a woman!

While playing the silly pool games on the Grand Princess in Sept, we had to x-change a "wet t-shirt" from one swimmer to another, after swimming two laps. When her team mates ripped the t-shirt off my oponent they mistakenly took HER BIKINI TOP OFF also! It took her a second to realize that she was standing in the middle of the pool deck completely topless in front of a LARGE crowd. Of course we also had to chug a beer. Not to mention laying on top of a teammate of the opposite sex to pop a half-inflated balloon between us <G>. I will say that I was thankfull that my bikini top stayed in place.

Well, I think that we are all getting desperate for activities on board. The cruise directors are counting on bingo and the art auctions for entertainment.I'm not sure where cruises have to go from here but entertainment is really null. On cruises where there is a port for every day, it is great, but on cruises with many days at sea, it gets REALLY boring!!!!

Oh no, you had to chug a beer! Watch what you say, some people on this board will object to your behavior and will consider you low class! And laying on top of a teammate of the opposite sex for the purpose of popping a balloon..........for heaven's sake, you decadent scoundrel ! <vbg>

Sarcasm aside, you appear to realize it's 2002 and you have to live like it's 2002 ! ! Not like some posters who can't let go of the "tradition." Hope my next cruise has more cruisers like you.

I have to agree with Thomas, and I'm a women..when I first started
cruising 10 years ago, I went on the Dolphin IV, they had the
Mr. & Miss Dolphin contest, drinking beer and breaking balloon contest, pass the greased veggies contest...they had horse racing,
but they also had a owners race, and people bought and decorated the horse..it was alot of fun...now it seems unless you are under the age of 25 and built like a you know what..you don't get invited
to do anything...I'm not complaining, but I would much rather get
involved in contest, pool games, darts, billiards, whatever...alot
of women sail with other friends...and if you're not with a date
or mate,,,you are sometimes left out of the loop....Ok I'll stop
whinning...I will continue to cruise, continue to get involved in whatever, but CD's..start thinking of other activities that can bring
home those wonderful prizes....and bring everyone together...

Hello Thomas,
I was on a ship (Infinity) that held a dart tornament, and it was fun. BUT what I'd like to know is, if you are on a ship doing 20 knots with a bit of a wind, how will the billiard balls stay in place on the table?
Pat.

Some of the existing activities could be punched up a little -- Scavenger hunts, for example, could add more bizarre stuff. How about a biggest suitcase contest, or an award to the person (as monitored by waiters) who ate the most in the dining room?

I'd be happy with more seminars/lectures -- I bet some passengers would be willing to give little talks about their jobs or interests in exchange for some drink coupons? We were on a cruise once with a passenger who gave a lecture about handwriting analysis that was very interesting. How about a daily dance class, for line-dancing, jitterbug, polka, etc.? The kitchen could have a class in crepes-making, the perfect omelet, etc? How about language or speciality food classes for some of the countries represented by the cruise staff -- wouldn't we all like to know how to say "please" and "thank you" in Romanian, or learn how to make a Philipino cookie? How about an astromy session, to identify the stars that are visible from the ocean at night? The cruiselines could show old movies in a lounge, like the Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, etc. w/popcorn -- sort of like the travelling Horror Show for adults, with trivia? How about arts & crafts for grown-ups, like the t-shirt painting for kids, and bridge or poker classes for beginners? The cruiselines could also offer more talks about the history or geography of the ports we're visiting, instead of only focusing on the shopping and excursions available in port. What about a lecture about the ship's mechanics, or a visit to the crews' quarters or the ship's laundry? I bet some people are curious.

Some of the cruiselines probably already do some of these, but I haven't tried all of the cruiselines yet. None of these ideas would cost much, but it would add variety to the cruise experience and give passengers a greater variety to choose from.

Very good, Sharon. I think you've hit it right on the head. Those things you've mentioned would add a great deal of variety with little cost. I like options.

The last cruise we were on there was a game of charades going on in one of the public thoroughfares that we would have liked to have joined but never saw it listed in the daily publication and we didn't want to intrude.